Free Eagle Down (Shadow Squadron) Ebooks Online
Sergeant Edgar Brighton awakens to a pounding headache. As the blur of unconsciousness fades from his eyes, he sees an unfamiliar woman staring back at him. He tries to speak, but discovers that he's been gagged. He tries to stand and, but finds that his hands and feet have been bound. And when the woman begins to blindfold him, Edgar realizes that his troubles have only just begun.
Lexile Measure: 910L (What's this?)
Series: Shadow Squadron
Library Binding: 112 pages
Publisher: Stone Arch Books (January 1, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 143424606X
ISBN-13: 978-1434246066
Product Dimensions: 0.5 x 7 x 4.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #737,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #132 in Books > Children's Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Difficult Discussions > Dysfunctional Relationships #5293 in Books > Children's Books > Mysteries & Detectives #16130 in Books > Children's Books > Action & Adventure
Age Range: 9 - 13 years
Grade Level: 4 - 8
Carl Bowen's Shadow Squadron is a Tom Clancy type military series written for young readers (third or fourth grade). He keeps the action true to life without the gore (there is killing but it's the clean shot/clean kill variety - shoot the bad guys, they fall down). His use and understanding of military weapons and nomenclature is good and will appeal to young readers wanting that kind of detail.Wilson Tortosa and Benny Fuentes (drawings and color in that order) provide great, colorful illustrations filled with action and suspense.Shadow Squadron: Eagle Down is a more personal mission featuring Eddie Brighton going undercover in Colombia. Things go badly for Brighton right off the bat after a parachute insert. He ends up in the hands of the bad guys and becomes the plaything for a sadistic female torturer.This adventure is different from the first two because things are not ever within Brighton's control, nor is he ever in a safe place. He responds to thing in a typical, tough guy fashion, but readers are given a glimpse of what soldiers are taught to survive such supreme conditions.This is a full-on military adventure because Brighton has to get himself out of the fix he's in and does so in true action hero fashion.
Son read the entire series we got him in less than a few days. Once he started reading them he couldn't put the book down.
I read this book before putting it in our school library, because of content concerns. I was impressed. Though the subject matter is all too real, it was handled with just the right amount of diplomacy. No violence is glorified, but it is touched upon and left to the readers imagination from there. How do you include water boarding and other torture in a book for kids? I was concerned, but it was well-handled and my grandsons couldn't wait for the next in the series.
I understand the motivation behind the series of books. It is a child's version of Tom Clancy and other spy/cold war novels. However, in all honesty, I would not hand this book to a 9 year old to read. There isn't extreme blood and gore, but nothing is left to the imagination about the torture techniques, and there was a great description of how cocaine is handled. In fact, the mother of a student picked this for him to read, and a lead teacher heard us working on the novel. The lead teacher came to see me following the lesson and wanted to make sure I had the parent's permission to be reading that novel with the student (and yes, similar permission has been required on a student-by-student basis for Hunger Games, The Giver and Ender's Game novels).I am not a book banner; the very idea is abhorrent to me. However, I recommend this book be given to children age 12 or 13 and up. 9-11 year olds are too young for this type of book.
Shadow Squadron: Eagle Down Eagle Down (Shadow Squadron) Inside a Bald Eagle's Nest: A Photographic Journey Through the American Bald Eagle Nesting Season Phantom Sun: 6 (Shadow Squadron) Phantom Sun (Shadow Squadron) Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea Shadow Puppets & Shadow Play Eye Shadow Techniques: Amazing and good looking eye shadow techniques for every kind of eye shapes. Ender's Shadow (The Shadow Series) Shadow of the Hegemon (The Shadow Series) Shadow Puppets (The Shadow Series) Shadow of the Giant (The Shadow Series) The Shadow of Death - Book 2 (The Shadow of Death Serial (Amish Faith Through Fire)) Capital Navy: The Men, Ships And Operations Of The James River Squadron Success Is All That Was Expected: The South Atlantic Blockading Squadron During the Civil War From Cape Charles to Cape Fear: The North Atlantic Blockading Squadron during the Civil War (Alabama Fire Ant) The Forgotten Few: 77 RAAF Squadron in Korea The Lafayette Escadrille: A Photo History of the First American Fighter Squadron The Black Sheep: The Definitive History of Marine Fighting Squadron 214 in World War II Star Wars: Poe Dameron Vol. 1: Black Squadron (Star Wars (Marvel))
